The present invention relates to an improvement of a hair iron for hairstyling by a finger operation.
The present invention also relates to a removable cylindrical iron press cover to cover a heating surface and a pressing surface of a hair iron for hair treatment.
Hairstyling has been always been an important factor for females for a decent or attractive appearance. Today, hair irons are conveniently and widely used not only by hairstyling professionals but also by women at home as a tool for simple hair setting or hairstyling.
There are different types of hair, i.e., straight hair, frizzy hair, curly hair, and the like. In general, in order to attain a desired hairstyle, for example, straight hair is set with curls or curly hair is straightened. Easy hairstyling using hair irons is now possible instead of having to use chemicals for a perm. Thus, a demand for hair iron products has steadily increased as a reflection of consumers"" aesthetic tastes.
Furthermore, in recent years, the trend in hair coloring is towards drastic coloring and bleaching, and razors and scissors are more frequently used to make the cut end of hair (filter) wider in an attempt to attain an impressive hairstyle. While the use of these various hair setting techniques has become wide spread, hair damage caused by drastic hairstyling and erroneous home haircare such as excessive hair washings has become a serious problem. Thus, there is a strong demand for development of methods for hair setting without causing damage to the hair.
Technology in hair irons relates mostly to an improvement of their functions and safety, including a hair iron which consists of a hair scrolling body formed from a heat conducting material and a hair guide formed with a non-heat conducting material to protect a user from bum and heat (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-127941), a hair iron in which slits are formed on an ironing member and heaters insulated by ceramic are interiorly mounted on both sides of the slits, which permits the moisture going in and out, in order to improve hairstyling efficiency (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-75927), an hair iron in which a steam opening and a steam leak preventing wall are formed in the hollow part of a corrugated heating plate in order to protect the scalp and fingers from leaking steam in hairstyling with steam (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-272012), an electric iron in which a fluorine resin coating is applied on an ironing member to generate anions to prevent hair damage and shorten the time for the curling process (Registered Japanese Utility Model No. 3047352), a hair iron in which a space is formed in a partial site of oppositionally facing curved surfaces of a rod and a glove to improve aesthetic finishing with lustrous hair (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. H06-72501), and a hair iron in which the surfaces of oppositionally facing hair pressing parts are formed as engaging concave and convex surfaces and heaters are built inside said pressing parts to straighten frizzy hair into lustrous smooth straight hair without causing damage (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H06-189818).
However, in the abovementioned prior art, the handiness and efficiency of hair irons remain unsatisfactory, although their safety, hairstyling functions, artistic finishing, or other functions have been gradually improved.
The present inventors worked intensively to improve the handiness and efficiency of hair irons, invented a castanet-like hair iron which is different from a conventional arm-type hair iron in its handiness, and applied for a patent (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-296007) prior to the present application. As shown in the perspective view in FIG. 2, the hair iron 11 of this previous application comprises holding members 14 and 15 which are joined via a joint member (not shown) and have a hair heating surface 12 and a pressing surface 13 thereon, and a cord 16 connectable to a source of electrical power. This novel iron can be freely opened and closed by the pressing force of the palm and fingers straddling the joint member so that the hair iron can be operated like a castanet. Since a bundle of hair is sandwiched between the holding members and the heating surface and the pressing surface are pressed directly with fingers, the pressing force is easily controlled so that even females having a weak grip can easily operate the iron. Thus, the heating surface can be more accurately, delicately and easily controlled as compared with the prior art arm-like irons, which permits a flexible, desired hair ironing operation.
In conventional hair irons, the ironing surface in contact with the hair is hot and noncompliant, and the entire periphery of a hair is not in contact with the ironing surface. As a result, such irons used without any modification would cause frizziness in hair already damaged in the middle or at the ends. This is because about 99% of hair is comprised of proteins, and said proteins are decomposed by the use of alkaline chemicals for hair treatments, such as perm agents and hair coloring agents. As a result, hair is softened by the alkaline chemicals and loses its strength, becoming susceptible to damage. Hair is roughly divided into three parts, i.e., a newly grown part which has never been in contact with perm agents or coloring agents, a middle part which has been treated with perm agents or coloring agents, and an end part which has been damaged by multiple treatments with perm agents and coloring agents. Generally, the extent of damage is increases from the newly grown to the middle part to the end part. At the end part, split hairs may occur at the tip.
In the abovementioned hair irons, handiness and efficiency has been improved. However, it was very difficult to control the heating temperature so as not to decompose the hair components and so as not to cause damage to the hair while heating since the heating element of the hair irons is metallic and the hair is held in direct contact with the metallic heating element.
Meantime, a hair iron was disclosed in which the outer surface of a conductive heating body and the surface of a clamp are flocked and the hair is held in between to minimize the damage to the hair by heating (U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,716). However, flocking with a nonhygroscopic material had little covering effect on the heating surface and the flocking was semipermanent so that a troublesome reflocking was required. Furthermore, the flocking absorbed and accumulated odors resulting from decomposition of hair treating agents by heat, and this odor was released during an ironing operation with heat, which prevented the long term use of the flocked hair iron.
Accordingly, in an attempt to improve hair irons from a functional point of view for aesthetic finishing, an object of the present invention is to provide a hair iron equipped with an easily-removable, non-baggy iron press cover, which permits safe and accurate ironing, minimizes further damage and frizziness to hair having been damaged or split at the tips after repeated treatments with perm agents and ironing treatments, and prevents generation of an odor over a long period of time.
In the present invention, a removable iron press cover covers a heating surface and a pressing surface of the hair iron area where the hair is brought into contact, so that hair is not in direct contact with the heating surface of the iron, but the entire periphery of the hair is in contact with said heating surface. In this way, frizziness of the middle and end parts of the hair which have been damaged or split can be prevented. Further, the cover can be appropriately washed to keep it clean so that the hair iron can be used comfortably without sensing odor generated by heating.
According to the present invention, covering the heating surface of the iron enables hair to be in indirect contact, a so-called xe2x80x9csurface contactxe2x80x9d with the metal heating surface of the iron, and avoids hair from having direct contact, a so-called xe2x80x9clinear contact,xe2x80x9d with the heating surface so that the hair can be treated without causing frizziness even to damaged or split hair.
Furthermore, the iron press cover of the present invention can contain a component which generates a fragrance upon heating for a more comfortable use.
The present invention is fundamentally composed of the following configurations.
(1) In an arm-type hair iron in which a pair of arm members having a hair heating surface and a pressing surface oppositionally on their interior surfaces are joined at their ends via a joint member and can be flexibly opened and closed; removable, heat-resistant iron press covers to cover said hair heating surface and the pressing surface.
(2) In a castanet-like hair iron in which a pair of holding members having a hair heating surface and a pressing surface oppositionally on their interior surfaces are joined via a joint member and flexibly opened and closed by the force of the palm and fingers which straddle said joint member; removable, heat-resistant iron press covers to cover said hair heating surface and the pressing surface.
(3) Removable, heat-resistant iron press covers as described in (1) or (2) above, wherein the removable woven or non-woven cloth covers are cylindrical.
(4) Removable, heat-resistant iron press covers as described in (1), (2) or (3) above, characterized in that they completely cover the end of said arm members or holding members.
(5) Removable, heat-resistant iron press covers as described in any one of (1) through (4) above, wherein the removable woven or non-woven cloth covers are tightened at a switch part and are free from slippage and looseness.
(6) Removable, heat-resistant iron press covers as described in any one of (1) through (5) above, wherein the removable woven or non-woven cloth covers are appropriately colored in those parts which cover the top and bottom and/or the heating surface and the interior and/or exterior of the pressing surface of the iron for a quick identification upon use.
(7) Removable, heat-resistant iron press covers as described in any one of (1) through (6) above, wherein the removable woven or non-woven cloth covers can control the heating effect of ironing by a variation in thickness and can be exchangeable depending on the extent of damage to the hair.
(8) Removable, heat-resistant iron press covers as described in any one of (1) through (7) above, wherein the removable woven or non-woven cloth covers contain a fragrance which can be decomposed at high temperatures.
(9) Removable heat-resistant iron press covers as described in any one of (1) through (8) above, which can be washed for sanitary maintenance.